Captivity
by atrieisan
Summary: Captured from the reefs he called his home; the dark mer, Phantom, finds himself thrust into a life of captivity. Struggling to survive in this new environment, he meets someone who will change his life forever, for better, or for worse. DannyxSam (Rating may change to M in later chapters)
1. Captivity

Captivity

Captivity… Such a thought had never been left to stew within his mind before now; lying along the bottom of a deep salt water tank. To find himself at the mercy of its unyielding confines as it all but consumed him.

Trapped…. A long swish of his tailfin stirred the waters as his luminescent green eyes glowered at the sandy floor. He'd lost track of the nights he'd spent here. It couldn't have been more than a week, but he was uncertain. He'd not had any visitors since the third day. After attacking the diver, they seemed a bit more wary to approach him, and he was perfectly fine with that. He didn't need these humans poking their heads in at him, attempting to prod at him through the glass. He hated it…. Felt exposed, and just wanted to be left alone again…

For as long as he could remember he'd been alone…. Even amongst his kind he'd been shunned and alone. From the time he was a guppy; the others would not share with him, nor join him in sport. As the years passed by he had been pushed to the outskirts of the shoal until he was all but out of their sight; away from the safety of the deep and into the shallow reefs that banked the warm coastal waters. Never in his dreams did he realize how much danger he'd put himself in.

The shallows were home to an assortment of creatures, both large and small; it was a colorful and curious attraction. He had little trouble in acquiring food with such abundance; his only competition, a few complaining reef sharks. But despite the plenty and variety, it did not ease the ache of loneliness that hung heavy within his chest. Now as an adolescent male, he would carry himself to the edge of the reef and call out into the depths. Yet his voice was unheard; his song falling on deaf ears. Either the clan had moved on to other waters, or no female dared wander near. In the end he'd all but become mute at the lack of contact.

He'd taken to patrolling the reefs, claiming it as his official territory, and guarded it with great ferocity. A number of small boats soon found themselves victims of his wrath; the tattered remains shoved along the shoreline to be dragged off to whence they came. The colorful buoyant bodies were invading his home and taking his prey, and he was not about to put up with it. It was his territory, and the surrounding wildlife knew it well. Even the reef sharks had come to fear the jet black mer.

After some time, he was certain they had finally heeded his warnings, as the number of craft began to dwindle within the area. That is, until a large white behemoth lay within his path…

"Thank you for coming all the way out here for this Dr. Manson"

"It was nothing Mr. Masters"

The two men shook hands before turning down one of the docks of the crowded harbor. The old wood creaked under their shoes as they approached a large fishing boat. The biology team they had gathered had already begun preparations to get underway. Masters simply waved a hand at a few of them as they wandered past, up the ramp, and into the main quarters of the vessel. He let his form meander towards the back counter, setting about preparing a cup of coffee for him and his guest.

"Sugar?"

"Black is fine thanks."

Nathaniel Manson accepted the cup gratefully from the older man as he took a seat near the window. He gave the cup a soft swirl before sipping at its hot, bitter contents. He only looked up from the drink briefly as Masters addressed him once more.

"So how has the family been?"

"Things have been good lately; my brother is bringing his wife and daughter down for the summer. So it should liven things up a bit."

"You're niece is majoring in marine biology, is she not?" He stirred a bit of cream into his own cup before taking a seat across from his coworker.

"Why yes. I believe she's starting her second term this fall."

Vladimir Masters just held a look of mild amusement towards Dr. Manson before setting his drink down upon the table, "Then we should hope that this mission goes by smoothly."

"Indeed. I did get some of the details from the email. Something to do with repeated shark attacks?"

"From the number of reports and sightings, it's believed to be, yes."

"Believed to be?"

Manson's eyes followed the older male as he picked himself up from his seat and meandered over to the drawer. Pulling out a number of documents and sorted through them, laying them out upon the table in an orderly manner.

"The reports vary in a number of ways. At first we thought we were dealing with a few of the local reef sharks. But after compiling a number of the reports, I feel we are dealing with something else." Vlad crossed his arms, a scowl evident on his face as he watched the younger scientist run over the papers in his hands.

"A tiger shark, possibly?" He thumbed over a particular page that claimed witness to a number of stripes visible upon the body of the animal.

"The coloring is a tad dark, don't you agree?" Vlad pulled another paper out of the drawer and placed it upon the table. A map of the local reefs; a number of areas were either crossed out or marked in bright red.

"True, but we don't have much to go off of as far as color and a few stripes go," Manson sighed, taking another sip of his coffee before bringing himself around to examine the map, "Seems you've been busy."

"Indeed. My team has already set out a few times in attempts to locate the beast."

Masters brought himself around to point out specific locations upon the paper. Manson did his best to follow the gestures as he took in the information provided for him.

"With all of this, we garner that the territory encircles the primary reef and its surrounding waters. Thus we've begun setting up humane traps in hopes of capturing and further preventing more attacks. We can set about tagging any others we find as to keep an eye on the local populations. They've been shifting greatly in the last few years, and I'm certain it has to do with our mystery fish."

"That's an awful big appetite" Manson just mused, setting the map back down upon the table.

Master's simply rolled his eyes at this as he walked back around the table and towards the door. His heels clacked upon the deck as he came to a stop upon in the entryway, a hand resting upon the handle as his grey eyes turned back towards the younger scientist.

"Either way, we'll be departing shortly to make a routine check on the traps. I'm going to ensure that things are ready to get underway." He gave a curt nod before exiting the compartment, leaving Manson at the table to further examine the reports.

He hadn't been sure what to think about the great white beast as he moved through his waters. It was far too large for him to challenge like the other vessels, and thus he was forced to accept its presence within his territory. For over a week, the ship had lingered off and on along the reef, only stopping for an hour or so at a time, but it would always leave a number of strange contraptions wherever it had stayed.

He eyed them warily at first. Uncertain as to what they were other than the strange scent of food that lingered around them. He'd scowl and shun them, refusing what he figured were peace offerings to share his hunting ground. He didn't feel like sharing, but the creature's size made fighting it a lost cause.

As time drifted on by, the large white boat seemed to have moved on, and thus he continued on with his usual routine. He still found himself frustrated at the sight of the foreign contraptions along the reef, and had taken to knocking the ones near the edge into the depths. It was a satisfying feeling, getting rid of the eyesore. That was, until he found new ones taking their place, the presence of the white metal beast having returned again.

It made him angry. His tailfin swished in the water violently as he trailed after it. His luminescent gaze lay witness to the offering of another one of the strange contraptions; watching it settle in the soft sand below. A snarl curled on his lips as he lashed out it, deciding he'd had enough of the 'peace offerings' and that the only way to settle the matter was to prove his absolute hatred towards them. He'd not expected what had happened next however…

With a snap, the contraption had shifted in one single go, and he found himself ensnared within any number of wires. Wide eyed, he hissed in defiant anger, and writhed within its binds. Only realizing too late that the more he twisted round, the tighter and more tangled the mess became. He wanted to scream, but his voice remained ever absent. His struggles in vain as he desperately tried to swim away. His mind coming to the realization that this contraption was no offering at all, but had been the creatures way of hunting within his territory from the start; and at that moment, he'd become the prey.

"Odd…" Vlad tapped the screen in front of him, his gaze set upon the blinking dot upon the screen.

"Something the matter, Mr. Masters?" Manson shifted his attention from the crew over towards the older scientist.

"Indeed… Either the trap we just placed has malfunctioned… Or we've gotten unusually lucky," he frowned, giving the screen anther tap, bringing up the coordinates of their most recent drop off. It hadn't been fifteen minutes since they had deposited the trap at the specified location. Thus it left the heavy belief that he was going to have a long chat with his team about properly setting them later. That or yell at the company that he purchased them from for lack of proper production. Either way it just put another dent in their time to be out along the reefs before dark.

After the long wait for the ship to make its turn around, he stood there upon the deck, tapping his foot in frustration as crew set about retrieving the trap. He was intent on thoroughly examining the contraption himself to ensure whether the error was that of his crew or if he needed to make a rather unpleasant phone call. What he'd not expected was the sound of the team's excited hollers and the thrashing waters of a trapped animal.

"Mr. Masters! You're not going to believe this!" Dr. Manson called over excitedly, having joined the team in attempting to pull the trap up out of the waters.

Blazing white fins stood out against the ebony black scales and dark stripes. From the tailfin alone they could tell this was no shark on their line, and was far bigger in that regard. It continued to thrash in the binds, desperately attempting to plunge itself back into the safety of the waters below. It forced the crew to hook up the pulley in order to properly reign in the beast, even with the trap restraining it. Either scientist would agree that this was one powerful animal, as the pulley groaned from the strain, and the crew ached in the struggle before finally tumbling backwards onto the deck. Only then could they finally get a decent look at what they were dealing with.

"I was at least expecting a whale… But this is ridiculous." Manson blinked, rubbing his eyes as if the sight was trying to fool him. Masters on the other hand just stared wide eyed at the sight, he'd expected something like this, but he'd not expected it to be true, let alone finding any evidence of such fantasies so soon.

Staring back at them, wide eyed and fearful, was the strangest creature they'd ever laid eyes on. The long black tailfin twisted up into the body of an adolescent male, the slender figure riddled with scales; silver hair hanging down in bright green eyes that stared back at them, seeming horrified with its predicament.

"What in the world?" One of the crew members edged around the beast warily. The creature in turn, despite the restrictions on its movement, whirled round at him with a deep almost reptile like hiss. The male barely had time to yelp as he was yanked backwards by his boss.

"You'll likely lose a limb if you try that again." Vlad narrowed his gaze, the creature in turn barred its fangs in a threatening manner.

"It's a mer…. I.. I didn't think they even existed… and yet… here… It's right here in front of us…" Manson stuttered, seeming to have all but lost his tongue as he ogled the said mer with fascination.

Vlad could only sigh as he placed a hand upon his coworkers shoulder, startling the man out of his mindset, "So it would seem, but if legends tell what they do, that would mean that this creature is responsible for the attacks upon the local populous."

"We can't simply relocate something like this… Can we…?"

"Afraid not, not only will the world want to know of this little discovery, if this is the culprit, then we've freed up this area to resume normal water traffic."

"And if it's not….?" Manson inquired, his gaze fixed upon the older man's as if this was all some sort of hoax.

"Then we'll have to continue our search. If need be, I'll leave a few of the traps around and see if your tiger shark theory is correct, hmm?"

Vlad mused at this, only receiving a further frown from the scientist. But in the end the man reluctantly agreed, leaving him to order to crew the usher their catch into the holding tank. He'd long since turned the fishing boat into a travelling tank in hopes of collecting unusual specimens for the facilities aquatic research. It seemed he'd just mined gold.

And here he was, lying upon the bottom of the tank; stirring at the sand beneath his fins as he scowled at the world and everything in it. He'd allowed himself to be fooled by humans, the white beast having been one of their boats that road across the waters, disguised in some new form other than the old wood of stories old.

He let his tailfin curl round his form, shielding his face from the sight of the glass that imprisoned him. He let a sigh leave his lips. At the very least it had been quiet today, no rapping sound upon the glass, no humans peering in on him. It was a familiar, but sad sort of quiet, and he took that moment to rest within the stillness, trying to claim some sort of sanity back within it all.

However he found himself torn from his reprieve at the faint sound of clacking upon tile. He tore his gaze away from the floor to glower at the glass. But what caught his eyes was unlike anything he'd ever seen before; as bright purple eyes stared back at him through the glass. He could have sworn the waters themselves shuddered under such an intense gaze; and yet, it wasn't an unpleasant feeling.

It was then that he'd come face to face with the strangest girl he'd ever met…


	2. The Girl Who Made No Sense

Chapter Two

The Girl That Made No Sense

Samantha Manson wasn't the happiest person in the world, but then again, how could she be, staring at the glass, attempting to drown out the sounds of her parents arguing behind her. It had been difficult in getting them to come here, and they'd been arguing about it since they'd received the invitation. Her uncle, Nate, as her father put it, had invited them down to the Florida coast for the summer, and offered for Sam to see their aquatic research center. Of course she'd been ecstatic about the whole concept. Her parents on the other hand, had been less so.

Her mother, Pamela, had continued to scream about how indecent the man was, living out in the wilderness half of the time, and was now screaming about how filthy the marine life was whilst her father attempted to console her. Sam could only roll her eyes and try to ignore them as they continued to stroll through the vast aquarium. At some point, she'd managed to lose them in the maze of hallways, having only noticed that the sound had drifted into a dull roar, and then into silence. As far as she was concerned, it was a well needed brake.

The exhibits held mild interest as she wandered about; small shoals of fish scattered about behind the glass that enclosed their so called homes. Some of the tanks were small, others sprawled across whole walls. It was in that respect that she reigned in her complete distaste; at least they were taking some consideration for the animals' wellbeing. That didn't mean she approved of it entirely; conservation of wildlife was different than housing them in cages in her mind.

She let herself continue to examine the layout of the place for a while longer, until her eyes came to rest upon a sign indicating the entrance to the research center. Curiosity getting the better of her, she slipped through the double doors, ignoring the posted signs of 'Authorized Personnel Only'. She was going to be a biologist eventually, so why not get a look at it first hand?

The rooms were dark, leaving only the illumination from the large tanks that lined the walls. Some of them held a variety of strange or unique fish; others held sick animals for treatment, or young fish waiting to transfer to larger tanks. It was a mesmerizing sight as she spun round, attempting to take in all the sights and sounds of the place. That was until she came face to face with a pair of the brightest, toxic green eyes she had ever seen, watching her from the other side of the glass.

At first she'd been startled seeing such human eyes, the thought of being caught snooping nagging in the back of her head, until she caught sight of the rest of him. Brilliant white fins stood out against deep silver scales. They were almost black, if not for the ebony stripes that lined along his back and tail. The black ran up along his back and sides, speckling before shifting into a gentle tan skin. Silvery white hair hung in his face and flowed back over his shoulders; it made Sam feel the need to tie it back; watching it drift around him as he moved about the tank.

She continued to watch him circle, wishing she could reach out to him. It wasn't something she could place, but the sensation was there; the feeling that there was something more than just an animal behind those bright green eyes. If only she could find some way to unleash that spark, to bring out that hidden intelligence that lay hidden below the surface; he just appeared so human.

He wasn't sure what to make of her, this unfamiliar being staring back at him from beyond the glass. Deep amethyst eyes searched fiery green, as if search for some sort of answer he didn't know how to give. The waters seemed to ripple when her hand gently traced the glass, leaving a shudder running along his spine; but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. It felt like she wanted to reach out to him on another level, different from the analyzing gazes he'd been scrutinized under; and some tugging instinct left him curious of what she would do if he responded. Though he doubted he could speak to her, his own voice was foreign in his own ears, and the barrier between them left her voice in the form of strange murmurs he couldn't decipher.

He was almost tempted to reach out and run his hand along the glass, before the opportunity was stolen from him. Feeling the piercing gaze of another upon him, his form whipped round to catch glimpse of the smug face he'd come to hate; a snarl twisting itself upon his lip before disappearing into the small alcove in the back of the tank.

Sam followed his movements about the tank, letting her hand glide just above the surface of the glass. It almost felt as if he was playing with her, and it was becoming hard to decipher whether her hand was tracing over him, or he was following her. Such a curious glint held in those vibrant green eyes, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to tell her something, but she couldn't understand.

"You're so silly." She couldn't help but smile at his antics.

Whether it was curiosity or not, she swore he'd attempted to imitate the expression. However the friendly disposition faded as quickly as it came. A wild, aggressive look morphed the mer's face into an animalistic snarl; his form darting into the back of the tank just as a hand landed upon her shoulder. Startled, she spun round, finding herself face to face with the one and only Vlad Masters.

"I see you've familiarized yourself with the place," He mused, bringing himself to stand beside her, his gaze upon the tank before them.

"…I'm sorry, I didn't mean any harm. I was just curious…" Sam shifted uneasily, fingers plucking nervously at her fishnet sleeves. Her uncle was one thing, this man, Masters, could bring her into a lot of trouble. Yet she quickly noticed that he'd either not heard her, or simply did not care for her excuses; his gaze remained fixated upon the glass, a contemplative look in his grey eyes.

"Quite a fascinating specimen, isn't he?"

She blinked, surprised at the lack of retribution, wasn't sure how to respond; though he hadn't been looking for an answer, as he continued to talk, his gaze not wavering from the glass. He could still see the mer glowering at him from the shadows of the alcove.

"Your uncle and I recovered him just off the coast. He'd been giving the local fisherman a bit of trouble. This tank is simply a place to put him before we move him to a larger, more suitable 'habitat' tomorrow."

"Why not just let him go?" A frown settled on the goth's face as she eyed the older man; the activist in her rising to the surface at the thought of keeping a wild animal in a place like this.

He seemed to pause at this, as if thinking how to respond in an appropriate manner, "We agreed that it is currently unwise to release him until we've gathered more information on where he's from. The fact that he's been causing problems entails he's beyond the borders of his natural habitat. Simply releasing him now will only result in the same problem we had to resolve with his capture."

Vlad finally turned his gaze over to her, his expression level, unreadable to her eyes. Such was the trait of a businessman. True, they had to remove him from the source of the problem, but he wasn't about to let such a find out of his grasp so easily, when there was so much more that could be made from such an encounter, "Why not drop by tomorrow? I'm certain your uncle can introduce the two of you~"

A scowl crossed her face as she bit back the red threatening her cheeks. There was just so much wrong with the way he spoke those words.

"I'll…. Think on it Mr. Masters…"

It was a hasty retreat, a curt nod of the head before she darted out of the backroom. Vlad simply watched her go, a smug look upon his lips, the expression twisting into something sinister as the door clicked, sounding her departure from the space. His attention then turned back to the glass once more, a sneer evident on his lips.

"You can sense it, can't you? It leaves you fascinated by it, doesn't it?" He grinned through the glass, an almost wild look in his eyes. The mer hissed in response, snapping its jaws at him.

"Snip at me all you will. I will get what I want." He let his expression rest in a smirk, his hands remaining within the pockets of his trousers as he gave the tank one last work, "It's only a matter of time."


	3. Unyielding

Chapter 3

Unyielding

The morning air was filled with the deafening sound of shrieking and the hum of machines. The crane struggling to not drop its captive onto the concrete as the workers proceeded to transport the trashing animal; said animal was the disgruntled black mer currently attacking the tarp with a newfound ferocity.

Sam could only watch from afar, sipping on an iced coffee whilst her uncle observed the proceedings. Never had she seen such a power and unique creature outside of its element. It made her bristle on the inside. Despite her efforts to remain calm, she couldn't help the overwhelming feeling in her chest to free the tortured animal. Its screeches continuing through the halls as it strained to break free of the restraints. The only think holding her back was the look in her uncle's eyes. The deep contemplative scowl they held reminded her of her own distaste for the situation.

A sigh of relief graced everyone present once the tarp was unveiled and its captive released into the new enclosure. It boasted as one of the aquariums largest tanks, hosting a large variety of marine life in an almost realistic setting. Any number of plants littered the surface of the rocky outcrops and ledges, from coral, sponges, kelp and the like. It gave the appearance of stepping into the rocky reef as the viewing window on the next floor down loomed over the hallway, all but encompassing it in an underwater world. From above it looked like an over dramatic pool, with places the concrete jutted out into platforms, the platforms serving as the base for the formation of sea caves and alcoves in the ecosystem below.

The sea caves were quickly favored by the jet black me, his form darting off into the tank and disappearing under the rocky outcrops. At the moment he wasn't sure where he was, only that they'd put him back into the water and his first instinct had been to hide. The sight of the small dark cave became the perfect place to disappear from the prying eyes above.

He remained hidden in the shadows for what felt like an infinite amount of time, only allowing himself to peer out when he was certain the humans had left and their shadows no longer hovered over the water. From what he could see from the confines of the cave was that he was in an unfamiliar reef; schools of fish passing by, not in the least bit concerned by his presence. They only distanced themselves respectfully from him when he appeared on the reef.

His eyes searched for any sign of a threat, but when none was found he let himself wander, exploring the new reef an hoping it could help him pinpoint a way home. There were only a couple of caves that he could see, most of them interconnecting on some level. Sea weed clustered into a small forest on the north side of the reef, and the corals growing to the south. But the coral ended abruptly in a fine line along some sort of invisible force.

Growing instantly suspicious, he approached with a wary eye. He was almost certain he could see a reflection there. Reaching out, his fingers brushed the solid surface of the glass and he bristled instantly. This was no reef. It was another trap, another cage to keep him in, hidden under a false illusion.

He lunged at the glass, ramming the unyielding surface before darting about trying to find the limit of his new prison. The mer was quick to find the back wall behind the patches of sea grass. Following it along in both directions, he found himself boxed in by the rocky protrusions that held him here and gave a false sense of security to everything else present. Frustrated, he took to the surface, looking for some way to escape this horrid place, only to find an enclosed concrete patio.

They could not keep him here, he would not be kept here, and from his chest he voiced his defiance. The shrieks echoed throughout the building. He would not submit to these people, and would not yield like the walls that confined him. Thus he continued to scream.

The sounds carried out into the dining pavilion, causing the redheaded scientist to sigh, whilst his niece gripped her cup in the tension. It was an unpleasant, unfriendly sound that shook the air, leaving silence among the coworkers who sat among the tables. The only one who sat content was the figure of Vlad Masters, leaning back in his seat sipping on his coffee.

"Seems we've been issued a challenge," he mused, stirring a bit of cream into his drink.

Nate just sighed in response, his focus on the direction the sound carried from. True it was a challenge, but it held a wild, frightened sound; the cry of a trapped animal, too proud to admit that it was scared. In that sense, it sounded more like a cry for help than a challenge in his ears.

"Probably recognized the enclosure for what it was," the young scientist shook his head, pocketing his hands. It seemed that this human like creature was sentient enough to recognize his surroundings. It was a wonder as to what else could be accomplished with such intelligence, but it also meant it would take more time for the mer to adjust.

"I'd give him a few days to adjust."

There was a silence that followed. It was a sound, and understood reasoning, but there was a great amount of tension building around the subject. The conflicting thoughts on the situation growing heavy, and no one was willing to break the silence until Sam stormed out of the room. It seemed she would need time to adjust as well.

The next few days had been rough. The mer's persistent wails echoed through the corridors and it was times like these that made Nate thankful that they'd postponed the center's opening. There was no way they could keep the noise under control and people would have grown suspicious. He wasn't ready to share this discovery with the world yet. This mer couldn't handle the presence of the human; a media barrage would overwhelm him.

By the third day, the sounds had died down and the young scientist figured it had been enough time to where he could try feeding the creature. With a bucket full of fish and other assortments, he trotted up to the top of the enclosure. He wiggled his fingers in the water to get the mer's attention before setting about prepping some of the food.

Whether or not the animal ignored him didn't matter, it was more of an exercise to get the mer used to his contact. However, he received a rather unexpected response. He startled as the black beast burst from the waters, fangs barred and an almost reptilian hiss in its throat. Nate was forced to scramble backwards at the sudden approach. The mer's form coiled round upon the concrete, gnashing its teeth whilst it snarled. It continued the display, fins flared until the man had scooted a good distance from the water's edge. It was farther from the water than the creature wished to go, resulting in a defiant hiss before returning to the confines of the water, disappearing from sight.

Nate could only clutch his chest attempting to calm his beating heart. It had almost been a near perfect strike. If he hadn't of stepped towards the bucket, there was a good chance he would be duking it out with the animal; the mer tearing into his throat. He gulped, rubbing his throat in turn. Perhaps it was still too soon to be too comfortable around the mer just yet. Sighing, he tossed some of the fish into the water, knowing the mer still required sustenance. The question lay in whether or not the animal would accept the offering.

The next week was spent giving the animal its space and taking care of other matters, from paying bills and working on the rest of the exhibits. The decision had been made that it was best to keep the mer's existence in the dark to the public, as it was currently hostile and in no means fit for display. That sort of exposure would put more stress on the animal than it was already in. So over the next few weeks they would be closing off the hallways that lead to the exhibit. It would put a bit of a damper on their business, considering that the center had been advertising the unique design of the primary aquarium; the same tank that housed the unhappy mer. But Nate would not let that deter him. He was determined to calm the angry soul of the jet black mer whose eyes burned with an emerald fire; a fire that refused to be silenced; an unyielding will within them, unwilling and unable to be broken.

Soon after, Sam and her family had taken their leave. The parents grateful to the returning home, but their daughter's promises to return soon still hung in the air. The nearby university that correlated classes with the center would be starting term next month, and with great persistence, Sam had convinced her parents to let her go. She'd managed to convince her mother that it was due to the fashion and design majors. Nate couldn't help but chuckle at this; the girl had no interest in designing dresses. Her father knew it as well, but was more content to let the matter slide.

As it was, they'd been fussing at their daughter to continue her education for some time. She'd been out of high school for two years now, and spent most of her time working at the creepy gothic book store across town. It wasn't like they didn't have the money to afford it, they had more than enough; it was simply that their daughter didn't want to cooperate with them. The fact that she was now interested in furthering her education, even if it was for the sake of a captured animal, it was still a push in the 'right' direction.

By the time Sam made the trip back down to the south Florida coast, the month had passed and it was only a few more days before the semester began. The sweltering heat of summer still held on with a tight grasp, and the trees still rustled with brilliant green leaves as she walked down the street towards the university.

A sigh graced her lips as she checked in through the office and made her way up the winding stairs to her dorm. The typical sounds of music and chatter greeted her ears as she pulled her luggage along the hall. It was lively, a little more so than she preferred, especially after a long trip, but it was better than being stuck at home.

Then again, the thought of maybe she should've stayed at home went through her mind when the sight of a burning pink t-shirt was thrust in front of her. Glowering she shoved the horrid object away before turning her focus on the offender, finding the shirt in the hands of a Latina chick.

She stood there smacking a piece of gum, looking slightly offended. Her body clothed in pink among other bright colors. Sam could feel her eye twitch in response.

"The color looks so good on you! You shouldn't stick to such gross clothes," The girl grinned, giving a flick of her hair, causing Sam to grimace. This girl was too fake for her liking.

"Thanks, but I prefer my own style…" She pushed past the teen, ignoring the scoff as she continued to her room. She could only hope that she wasn't stuck with that chick as a roommate.

Clicking the door closed with a sigh of relief, she turned to face the empty room. It comfortably housed two, and one side showed signs of being occupied. The desk contained a number of notebooks and artistic representations of wildlife, and she was grateful when she saw no sign of frilly colors or popular trinkets. It seemed she'd lucked out and not been housed with that pink monster.

Halfway through unpacking her things, she heard the door creak open, taking in the sigh of her new roommate. She was pleasantly surprised to see a young African American woman sporting a red blouse and long curly black hair past her shoulders.

"Oh, hello there," she smiled, setting her things down and offering the goth a welcoming hand. Sam accepted the shake, getting to her own feet in the process.

"The name's Valery. So I'm guessing you're my new roommate?"

"Yeah, I just got in today. It's Sam by the way," She turned to start putting away the rest of her things, only to find her mother had packed some of the more avoided clothes. She grumbled slightly, pulling the offending, pink dress out of her luggage and tossing it into the nearest trashcan, "Why does my mother not get that I don't wear shit like this! I'm not that Barbie in pink!"

"Pfft! I see you already ran into Paulina," Val laughed, leaning back into her desk chair as she sorted through her books.

"You know her?"

"Kinda hard not to. Doesn't help that she was from my high school," She rolled her eyes.

"Ouch," Sam could only grimace. She'd only been near the Latina for a minute and the girl was already in her face.

In the end the conversation continued to ramble on from there and well into the night. The two girls seemed to get along well, and Sam was grateful that she was starting the year with a friend. Things were off to a great start.

The next day was spent figuring out bus schedules and city streets before making her way downtown towards the aquatic center. The massive structure sitting on the waterfront had become a popular attraction while she was gone, despite the fact that its biggest feature was 'under construction'. She knew otherwise, considering she'd been there during the discussion of keeping their discovery hidden for the time being.

She wandered about the aquarium, examining the tanks in their full glory like many other passerby; giving a short peruse through the gift shop out of amusement. She hadn't intended on getting anything, but the sight of a simple shell bracelet caught her eye. It was more authentic than a number of trinkets glittering about the shop, trying to catch the eye of curious buyers, but this was simple hemp twisted rope, holding onto a simple clam shell. She couldn't help but smirk, figuring that the only reason it was being sold was her uncle's way of trying to appease her with something more natural, and less touristy. In the end she picked up the trinket and made her purchase.

After having a bit of fun exploring the place in its bustling activity, she took to making her way through the staff entrance; she wandered the back halls until she reached the massive tank. The glass walls looming over and encompassing the hallway before merging with the tank on the other side. It truly gave the sense of being underwater, encompassed in a tube below the crystal clear waters and ornate reef. However, aside from the typical sight of animals and fauna, she saw no sign of the jet black mer. It left a growing sense of unease as she reached out to touch the glass, wishing he'd show himself from wherever he was hiding. Nothing stirred, and she was beginning to doubt he was even in the tank at all.

Deciding it was best to find her uncle and find out what had happened, she turned and wandered off down the hall, checking through the rooms and offices in search of the man. Each room she checked was empty aside from the usual staff, and the unease was only building with each step. Something was wrong.

She finally discovered why when she turned into the last room, and her stomach sank. Her uncle stood there, along with his colleague, Vlad, and another man, obviously garbed in a medical scrub, hovering over a long metal table. Upon it lay none other than the black mer, looking worse for wear. She couldn't help but scream.

"What have you done to him!?"

The men startled from her cry, Nate being the first to try and console the frantic girl, "Shh.. shh.. Sam. I'm sorry you had to see this.."

He held his hands upon her shoulders, attempting to calm her struggling. She glowered up at him, frightened for the state of the animal, and ready to make a well placed kick into his shins, "What. Did. You. Do?"

He eyes narrowed threateningly, and the young scientist was forced to sigh, turning his gaze over towards the mer. The creature lay on its side, breath shallow, and wet towels draped over its form to prevent the scales from drying out. An iv was attached to the arm; the vet checking on the fluid's flow whilst trying to get vitals from the unusual patient.

"He's grown ill… I found him lying on the concrete patio outside the pool when I went up to feed him last night. The doctor doesn't think he's been eating well," he heaved another sigh before letting her go, figuring she was calm enough, now that the situation was explained. They weren't trying to harm the poor creature, simply save it.

Sam stared up at him for a while longer, trying to determine if it was the truth or not. His features were worn, like he had not slept, and from the solemn look in his eyes, he was concerned. She couldn't blame it on him, the man, though gifted in understanding marine life, was not familiar with the creature lying before them, and therefore was only trying the best he could. She shook her head sadly, wandering over towards the table. The mer didn't even move to acknowledge her presence, his form remaining heavy against the stainless steel slab, tail hanging over the edge.

He was a sight to see up close; holding a face so young, looking like a teenager, but armed with barbed fins and a powerful tail, giving him an impressive size. She estimated he was a good seven, almost eight feet long. His long white hair hung haphazardly around his face, but his green eyes were closed, unwilling to open. It was sad to see him in such a state.

Despite the protests of those present, she brought a cautious hand up and brushed a strand of hair out of his face. The scientists tensing up as the mer's eyes shot open, the creatures own form tensing up. Sam felt herself freeze, almost instinctively knowing that if she moved, he would lash out at her and everyone else in range. Those wide, fiery eyes staring right at her.


	4. Acceptance

Chapter 4

Acceptance

Everyone froze as the dark mer came to life. No one dared move less the creature turned to lash out at them. Sam stared on in horror, dreading that the next moment would be her last. Why had she been so stupid to just run up to the mer like it was her best friend? This was a foreign unknown species to them, a creature of myth that no one knew anything about, and she'd just waltzed right up to the beast's unconscious form.

Now she was stuck with the predicament of getting herself out of this situation. The mer's gaze was fixated directly on her. If she moved even slightly wrong it could be the end of her. The beast could leap of the table and savagely tear her apart. They didn't even know what he ate, there was a strong chance he probably would consider them prey. At least the old myths told of them luring men from their boats and devouring them. She wondered just how much of it was true…

Knowing she had to get out of the situation one way or another, she made to hesitantly remove her hands from the animal. The farther she was from strike range the better off she was. As it was fearfully expected, the moment she let her hand pass by his head, he'd immediately fixated on it. The sudden motion caused Sam to spook and jerk away and it was then that the mer lunged.

She screamed, tumbling back onto the floor. The others quickly came to her aid, pulling her away from the mer; her uncle being the first to check for injuries. Overall she was fine, just spooked, though her wrist did show the signs of teeth, it was thankfully not deep.

Sam hadn't even noticed her uncle or the other's move to try and save her. Her gaze had fixated on the animal in front of her. The mer lay upon the table, his form twisted from how he had arched upwards at her, his head hanging over the edge of the slab. But that wasn't the mer himself that had her true attention, it was the bracelet clamped in the creature's jaws. She heard the resounding snap of the shell between its teeth, before the mer dropped the trinket with a look of disappointment; tongue hanging out of his mouth hungrily.

She continued to stare on in silence, ignoring the cries of the men around her, before the observation clicked with her mind. She rose abruptly, startling the others as she made a beeline out of the room and down the hall her mind set on its goal. Nate followed after her, continuing to call her name, but she ignored him. It wasn't until he'd grabbed her by the arm that she whirled on him.

"Sam, wait. You were bit and it needs to be treated immediately!" He attempted to calm her, hoping that he could get some sense into what he thought was panic. But the look she gave him quickly had him unhanding her.

"I'm fine, it's only a scratch," She turned and continued to wander down the hall.

"Sam, wait! Where are you going?!"

He called after her as she continued to strode down the halls, poking her head into different rooms looking for something. By the third door, she finally acknowledged him once more.

"Where's the kitchen in this place?"

Nate blinked, seeming taken aback by the sudden question. She'd been attacked only a minute ago and she was suddenly interested in food. He couldn't fathom what had gotten into her, "Sam.. Why are you…"

He was cut off by the slam of a door as the young woman continued off down another corridor. A sigh graced his lips before he trailed on after her. She hadn't shown signs of going into shock, but he still had to ensure that she was going to be alright. Upon finding her again, she'd successfully made her way into the cafeteria kitchens and was scouring the shelves, much to the displeasure of the cooks.

"Sam, will you please explain to me what is going on?"

"Didn't you see what was in his mouth?" She answered with a question of her own, her focus still on running through the shelves. Her uncle, however just gave her an exasperated look, which was enough of an answer for her to continue, "I bought one of those gift shop bracelets. He was trying to eat the shell. I think you've been trying to feed him the wrong thing."

The young scientist blinked before the thought clicked in his mind. He couldn't help but shake his head in slight amusement. She truly was a scientist at heart, even whilst bitten by the animal, she was still only thinking of what it needed. He then turned to look over the shelves himself after dismissing the distraught kitchen crew, looking over the jars and cans, figuring out what she was looking for.

"So you think our mer is a shellfish fiend?" He mused, picking up a jar of clam juice from the top shelf.

"I can only hope so…" Taking the jar from him, she set about finding the minced clams amongst other related seafood and mixing them into a small pot upon the stove.

"I'm not sure he likes his food cooked…"

She simply frowned at him and turned back towards prepping the food, "I'm not cooking… I'm mixing."

Sighing Nate managed to nudge her away from the pot, "You can't prepare food the same way we do. It requires a different touch. I'll show you."

He smiled, giving the spoon a casual twirl before setting about preparing the concoction; explaining the different nutritional needs of different creatures that he knew of and how to prepare certain meals. He'd also taken out a few tablets, vitamins of a sort, to which he offered her to break up into the mixture. With their resident mer as sick as he was, they needed to bring him back to health any way they could. Once the mixture of shellfish had boiled down into a heavy 'soup' they set it aside to cool, knowing it was probably more appealing to the mer's pallet at a normal temperature.

From there they carted the meal back to the room only to find, to their dismay that the mer was in the middle of a glaring match with the two other men. During their absence, the animal had stirred, and despite being exhausted, was no longer putting up with them being anywhere nears him. From flared fins and bared fangs, he was an overall force to be reckoned with, and the screeches and squawks had been heard from all the way down the hall.

Sam frowned, yanking the bowl from the redheaded scientists grasp, and wandering further into the room. A gruff, "Move", was their only warning as she pushed past the men so that she was the only thing in front of the agitated creature.

The scent of food reached its nostrils, and the mer was instantly looking her way. However the moment he caught sight of her with the tempting scent, he growled, form slumping against the table. He refused to take food from them; he as too proud, and yet he was also so tired.

It was only after the mer had stopped his offended screeching and dropped down in exhaustion that Sam moved closer. His eyes on her with every step, and she did the same. Nate had taken to the sidelines, wary that too many approaching figures would result in frenzied panic. It didn't help that Sam had been so stubborn. This was unfamiliar territory and he was the animal handler, if she ended up hurt as a result, the blame would fall on him, and likely the life of such a rare entity.

"Do you think it's wise to let her do that?" Vlad looked on warily from the young scientist's side. This would only end badly in every scenario his mind played out. The mer was wild and unfriendly, and didn't show any signs of accepting any sort of interaction.

"No, but my gut feeling tells me to trust her," Nate bit his thumb nervously, not giving the man a second glance. His attention was completely focused on the situation before them, frightened for her safety.

Surprisingly, Sam had managed to pull up a chair next to the table. The mer was still holding a low hiss in his threat, but had yet to make any attempts to attack her. She took this as a good sign; letting herself sit down right next to him.

He eyed her warily as she stirred the concoction of clams and mussels; the scent rising up and taunting his senses. But this temptation was in the hands of a human, and therefore he refused to take it, settling for baring his teeth ad hissing when she drew the long silver stick towards him, teasing him further with the nibblet of food on the end of it.

A frown of frustration creased her lips as she pulled the spoon back. It was obvious the mer was starving, but openly refused to take from her. The second time she'd offered, he'd snapped at it, and not in a friendly sort of way. She refused to give up just yet. On the third attempt, she dumped the spoonful of meat onto the table, tapping the spoon upon the stainless steel.

He'd continued to bare his teeth at the offending object, but found himself utterly confused when she dropped the morsel in front of him, rather than aiming the spoon at his face. He glowered at it, offended by it. He would not take something from the creatures that imprisoned him here, even this unusual female. But his stomach was twisting itself in knots. It was torturing him, having that bite of food directly in front of him. Every part of his mind was screaming at him not to take it, and yet wanting it at the same time.

The mer eventually yielded. Its body lurching as he scarfed up the small teasing of food. A sense of shame swelled in him along with the furious hunger at the taste of such sweet meat. He continued to fight with himself as she set down a second bite, a growl in his throat at the action, but with each tap of the spoon upon the table, he relented, devouring each morsel set down in front of him.

The three onlookers could only stare on in perplexed fascination as she continued to feed the once mythical animal. Out of everything they had tried, she was the only one to succeed on even getting near the creature while it was fully conscious. Perhaps she would be the one to tame this retched beast.

Sam could only smile as she continued to place one bite down at a time. The gentle rat-tat-tat of the spoon against the metal surface slowly acclimated the creature to realizing the sound meant food.

After a number of bites, it was apparent that the mer was growing frustrated. He was snatching them up as fast as she was putting them out, and then looking up expectantly as she scooped up more. He'd given up his pride at this point, instinct driven hunger leading him onto an almost obedient cycle of repetition; his only goal being the sustenance his body was screaming for.

Sam had to relent at some point in the exchange; setting the bowl of steamed clam meat in front of him instead of a morsel and watching as he dove in without a second's hesitation; snarfing down every scrap, every shred of food, even licking the bowl clean. Yet he wasn't satisfied and turned his gaze back towards the young woman who had the courage to feed him. She only smiled softly in response, "It's all gone. Sorry."

He didn't understand a single word she had said, and overall ignored it, more concerned with food at that moment. He wasn't done, if anything that had only been enough of a snack to get his appetite going with a fierce drive to feed.

Sam gave a startled squeak as the mer started snuffing her, before sliding off the table and sniffing about the floor for any scraps. Its nose leading it over to the cooler full of fish Nate had brought in earlier in hopes to get the beast to eat. Watching in shock, the mer figured out how to pry open the lid to the container and begin chowing down all of its contents.

It wasn't that the creature didn't eat such foods, but in his stress and distrust, he refused anything they offered to him to the point of becoming ravenous and sick. It also seemed he had a far larger appetite than expected. Watching in fascination as he swallowed each fish whole much like a number of the aquatic residents did; and yet with such a human physique, it hadn't been expected. Within minutes he'd emptied the container, licking over his fangs before sniffing about in search of any scraps. He was still hungry.

It was after a few minutes of his fruitless searching till he noticed the spectators. A deep, snarling hiss in his throat as his fins flared in a defensive display. They now hat a mer running loose in the back room and looking threateningly at them. Vlad shuffled back, grabbing a nearby broom in defense. However the action only agitated the beast further as it screeched and mock lunged at them. At this rate it would charge them, on land or otherwise, it was still dangerous. The vet looked like he was ready to bolt, and Nate was half tempted to grab the net on the neighboring counter, but feared the action would cause the creature to act, and the older man was the intended target.

Sam bit her lip before walking forward, putting herself between the men and the mer; earning a snarl as she crouched down before the dark mer. The creature continued to hiss at her until she came down to eye level. Recognizing her as a source of food, he grew curious, sniffing at her until he realized she had nothing to offer, he backed off with a short grumble.

It had been enough of a distraction for Nate to edge towards his intended goal. However he was stopped short at the look the girl gave him. She shook her head; using the net now would only break what little trust they had built with the animal.

"Get another bucket of fish," was her only request. They would have to distract and lure the mer back into the water. The only question was, how?

Keeping the animal occupied had been surprisingly easy, as the mer had taken to licking off the clam juice that had dried to her fingers. Apparently feeding him and keeping him fed was going to be a large and expensive expedition. But at least they knew he had an appetite.

By the time Nate returned with the fish, the mer was quickly growing disinterested in the girl's fingers. Instead it turned its fiery gaze on the sudden movement, a growing hiss in its throat. Sam just ignored the sound as she reached back, taking one of the fish; the sight of the fresh meat perking the mer's interest. But as it moved towards the food, she moved it back. By the time the creature grew frustrated, she'd give him the fish, and then another would take its place, the process repeating itself over and over.

One by one they managed to lure him through the door and onto the patio that hosted the entrance to the tank. The mer's focus on the fish was to the point where he ignored anything else, including the small crowd of scientists that followed her.

Upon picking up the last fish, they found themselves at the water's edge. Thus Sam had to find another means of getting the creature back into the water. The mer was absolutely transfixed upon the meat to the point where he followed it about with his eyes and his nose. It almost reminded her of how some dogs acted in the presence of chasing a ball…. Perhaps she could get him to chase it?

Deciding the put the thought into action, she began to swing the fish slowly back and forth. And as predicted, the mer swayed along with it, tempted to snatch it from her hands. Right before he had the chance however, she flung the dead trout into the waters, the mer not giving it a second thought as he leapt in after it. Thus they had succeeded in safely returning the creature to its keep.

The next few days had been relatively quiet. Aside from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the aquarium, there was no sound from the closed off section. In fact, the mer hadn't made a sound, having done nothing but sleep for the next three days. It was a much needed rest. From the observations Nate had gathered, the animal had refused to eat or sleep to the point where it could no longer function.

Watching the creature now, it finally seemed that it was adjusting to its time in captivity. The mer was comforting enough to rest now, which was a sign of improvement. But as far as feeding times went, he still lashed out at them and soon it became clear that Sam was still the only one who could feed him. Thus, after her classes each day, she would come down to the center to feed the rowdy creature.

It was a pleasant routine, and the mer quickly picked up on it, causing a ruckus around the time she was expected to come through the doors. The sounds had even carried through the soundproof walls meant to hide him, and people were starting to question what it was. The only answer Nate could give them was that it was one of the animals in rehabilitation, and it wasn't suited to seeing people. It was enough to satiate most curiosity and they were able to continue on at a usual pace.

Passing by the patio on one occasion, he found Sam sitting along the water's edge, just reading through one of her English assignments. It had been questionable at first, for there was the concern of the animal attacking her, but it quickly turned out to not be the case. In fact, watching the scene from below the patio, in the exhibits hall, the mer showed more curiosity than aggression. It would poke its head up at the surface to look at her then dive back down. Just by being there, without really interacting, was enough to get the creature used to being around them. Well at least around her. The mer still didn't like him very much and was antsy and uneasy in his presence; Vlad couldn't even be in the same room. Nate could never really figure that one out; why the jet black mer hated his colleague so. But then again, most animals didn't like the man. It was just how he seemed to be.

The mer's behavior continued over the next few months. From screeching around feeding time to swimming around curiously whenever Sam sat and studied by the pool. To where, one day he even found the mer, up out of the water, sitting beside her, looking over the book in her lap as she read aloud. He doubted the creature understood a thing she said, but it was nice to see things looking up.

Sam had taken a liking to reading by the waters. The turbines that created the artificial current caused the water the swash about like the waves, and she was overall left alone. The college life was tedious, and her studies took up a good portion of her time. Her roommate was overall decent, spending most of her time out and about, but Sam found that staying in her room invited unwanted guests to knock on her door. It wasn't like she was antisocial; she simply didn't like to partake in hanging around partygoers in their bright outfits with cans of cheap booze. Thus she'd found sanctuary within the aquarium in which she worked.

Over the last few months, she'd become more and more attached to working there, and grown acquainted with the resident mer. Considering that she was the only one he'd accept food from, it had almost been fated that she would get more involved and become familiar with such a mysterious animal. She'd taken to studying by the pool, and found the mer would take interest in her when ignored. It was funny at first, watching as he'd dip below the waters whenever she looked up and caught him staring. It had almost turned into a sort of game, until he'd started growing bolder. Till one day the jet black mer pulled himself up out of the waters and sat next to her.

He sat awkwardly, his tail curling around him, and his arms splayed in front holding him up. His head was tilted to one side, making him look so much like a curious child, his gaze looking down at the book in her lap. Considering this was one of hers, Sam decided to see what he would do with it; holding the object out in front of the mer. If he ripped it, she would just have to get another one…it was a used book as it was.

Blinking his big green eyes, he sniffed at it, uncertain of what exactly it was. It smelled odd to him, but it also held her scent on it, so it obviously was claimed by her. He found it incredibly odd that she would be so free with her things.

Sam just found the whole thing amusing as she pulled the book back, grateful that he'd decided it wasn't a chew toy. Setting the book back down into her lap, she opened it to the last page she had read. The mer was staring on intently, absolutely fascinated by the unfamiliar object in her hands. She couldn't help but smile.

"Shall I read some for you?" She chuckled, knowing that he most likely didn't understand a thing she said. As it was, he'd shown no signs of being able to speak with them, aside from the usual sounds of hissing and screeching. So she started to read aloud from where she left off, knowing that though he may not understand her, it was still nice to know that someone was trying to accept you.

The jet black mer continued to watch her turn through the pages, her voice reciting over what he assumed was a written form of their language. He remembered that his people once had words to use, but they were carved into the stone and not the unfamiliar material in her hands; let alone that the language had died over the ages, lost after wars and calamities that separated them out into small clusters, nothing more than animals in the sea. He wished he could understand what she was saying, to know the story she told, and perhaps more. Since his time in captivity, she was the first one to treat him as a person, rather than an animal, to accept him as a friend, no matter how much he'd lashed out in retaliation. He wanted to know more, but in the meantime he would have to accept the way things were and simply doze off to the gentle sound of her voice.


	5. By Your Rules

Chapter 5

By Your Rules

The blaring sound of the alarm woke her from a pleasant slumber. A grumble in her throat as she rolled over, smacking the unpleasant device; sleepy eyes glaring at the illuminated display that told it was almost noon. Even on the weekends this was as late as Sam could let herself sleep. Her 'job' at the aquarium had taken up a good portion of her day, and often went into the late evenings. The mer was more active at this time of day, and she knew he would be screaming in a few hours for her to feed him. In that sense he was very demanding, and she would be tugged along to reply to those demands; as it was she had become primary caretaker. Not that she minded, considering she was working with one of the rarest and secreted creatures on the planet. She did still prefer to get some sleep now and then.

Yawning she pulled back the covers and set about preparing her things for the day. There was no point on leaving the light off, seeing as her roommate had been gone for the night; probably out with her new boyfriend. The teen hadn't stopped talking about him for the entire time she was home. From what she had gotten from the rambles was that he was smart, and was obsessed with electronics.

She could only shake her head at that, most guys were either to full of themselves, or tried to fake who they were around her. Her ex, Elliot, had been among the many that had tried to woo her by such means. From faking a persona to match her needs to even a fake name in attempts to allure her. And yet all he'd wanted was in her pants and at her family's cash. She'd quickly turned him down when the scheme was unveiled.

A sigh graced her lips as she let the shower water run. There was no time to be thinking of such things now. She still had a whole day ahead of her and a hungry mer awaiting its next meal. She could dwell on the past later.

A good hour later and she was heading off out the doors, and down along the city streets to catch the bus to the docks. On most occasions she would head straight to the aquarium, but she still had time to kill, and felt the need to try something new. Along the docks was a large fishing market were a number of fishermen set up their stalls with their catches of the day. Despite her own distaste in eating any form of meat, and the smells that wrinkled her nose in this place, she couldn't help but be tempted in treating her new found friend to some fresh spoils. Her uncle had mentioned testing out a few logic puzzles, seeing just how cognitive their mythical creature was. Knowing how much the mer tolerated the man, she figured he deserved something worse his troubles.

Wandering along the shops, she picked out a number of things; a large bag of oysters, slices of calamari, fresh red snapper, sea trout, and a number of other assortments. It was a heavy haul, but overall rewarding. A talk with one of the fishermen had also been a lucky break, as the man hearing she was working for the nearby research center had been quick to help her cart the catch over. As it was, the man had been in partnership with her uncle, helping him maintain a count on the local populations as well as helping supply the center with food for its occupants. It was an overall pleasant experience, aside from when he'd asked what she was feeding. She'd been forced to come up with some excuse that it was a number of animals with picky appetites, and was grateful it had been left at that.

By the time Sam had wandered through the backdoors of the aquarium, she could already hear the screeches of their resident mer demanding to be fed. It was a good sound, despite its ear piercing decibels, as it meant the creature was healthy and learning to adapt to the current life of captivity. Compared to several months ago, when the mer was not willing to accept food, sleep, or even come near them, he was now openly accepting food when it came to him, and had calmed significantly over time. However, her uncle had figured his acceptance of food came from how much he simply ate. The mer could go through more than half his body weight in food in a single sitting, which cut heavily into the aquarium's budget. It was just a lucky break that the Mansons had money to spend, and Vlad Masters funded more than half of the center's work.

"Ah, Sam, good to see you today," She was greeted by the friendly sight of her uncle. The red headed scientist gave a grin as he set about helping her carry the supplies, "I see you've been busy."

"Well, you mentioned you wanted to get started on those puzzles. So I figured he'd take better to it with rewards than the normal prepackaged stuff," She made a face; the man unable to hold back a laugh at it. It was honestly true that the packages didn't have the same appeal as fresh fish, but it was often all they had to work with. As it was, most bulk foods came prepackaged, freeze dried, or otherwise. But their new resident had a pickier and larger appetite than they could appease with it.

Making their way out onto the patio, Sam caught sight of the dark mer darting about the water's edge; his cries having turned into excited squeals and squawks. The water swashed about from the creature's behavior, before the mer pulled himself out of the water completely. It snuffed the air with a look of anticipation, knowing the scent of fresh meat.

Deciding to give him a taste of what was in store; she pulled one of the small fish out of the bag and tossed it over to him. Watching as the mer's jaws opened, his form arching back before leaping upwards, snatching the fish and then falling backwards into the pool. The creature would then pull himself out and the process would repeat a number of times. Nate chuckled at the action as he set down his own things, preparing the little experiment whilst his niece kept the animal distracted and content.

He set out a number of puzzles along the waterfront. They were simple things, often used in cognitive research with other animals such as chimpanzees. They ranged from fitting shapes into the proper slots, to contraptions that required a bit of thinking to obtain the morsel of food inside. Considering how quick this mythical creature was to adapt to the word around them, they felt it was necessary to test just how cognitive it was. The scientific possibility of having found another species of higher intellect was absolutely fascinating.

After setting everything up, Nate called Sam over to bait the puzzles; the mer had dipped back into the water and followed along the edge, curious of these new toys. Over the past few months being stuck within the saltwater tank, no matter how grand it was, it quickly grew boring to the adolescent mer. He'd constantly found himself pacing about the tank, frustrated with his predicament. The only thing that pulled him out of the dull endless days was the young woman who came by every day to feed him. In most cases, he preferred to hunt for himself, but the change from the boring routine and her friendly nature drew him out from the shadows. She'd brought about a feeling he could not place, other than that he felt safe around her, and as a result he'd taken to calling out to her when he recognized the time of day she came by.

Today brought about a different sort of curiosity. It came with the tantalizing scent of fresh meat; he couldn't remember the last time he'd tasted it. The scent, along with the sense of safety he got from her, was enough to lead him along, knowing that he was in store for something good. However, when the mer came across the row of puzzles, he spooked, eying them suspiciously. He wandered around them in a wide circle, wary of approaching them further for fear of what they were.

Sam just shook her head in amusement before picking up one of the simpler toys, holding it out at arm's length towards the bewildered mer. When she'd first picked it up, he'd shrieked and coiled away from it, but as she continued to hold the strange object out to him, he became less wary and more curious. It smelled like food, but it didn't look like it, and it was clear this was confusing the creature greatly. Eventually, the mer slinked closer, growing more and more interested, until she set the puzzle in front of him. Once again the creature spooked, jolting backwards in fright before realizing nothing had changed and approached again. He continued to snuff at it, circling it.

There wasn't anything special about it. It was a simple round ball, a sort of clear, crystal blue shade to it, with a single, bold green mark the size of a thumbprint on one side. But that held little interest to the dark mer. If anything, his gaze and his nose was set on the morsel of food stuck in the center of the contraption. It was food, he knew that much, but it was about as reachable as an oyster snapped shut.

Pawing at it, he rolled it closer, twisting it around in his hands. The surface was almost completely smooth, aside from the green dot, and a ridge line that encircled the entirety of the container. He took to digging his claws in along the line, trying to pry it open by force. Yet the small crevice was so tight that he couldn't dig in deep enough to get any leverage. A growl hung in his throat as he turned the object over and over in his hands, growing frustrated.

The scientist and his niece watched in silence, waiting to see where it went from there. Nate took to writing notes on a small notepad he'd pulled from his pocket. So far the mer showed signs of cognitive understanding, as it took to examining the contraption thoroughly before attempting to troubleshoot opening it. However, it soon became apparent that the creature was also quick to anger, as it began to smack the offending ball against the concrete, attempting to break it open.

A frown made its way onto Sam's face as she watched. The dark mer was continuing to ram the object against the ground, before gnawing on it, then repeating the process. She knew this creature was capable of intelligence. She could see it in his eyes and the way he watched everything around him. But it seemed that this may have been a little too abstract for his understanding.

Picking herself up, she pulled out a small spray bottle and proceeded to squirt the animal in the face. The mer shrieked, jolting backwards in surprise before snarling up at the bottle in offense. The snarl was greeted with another spritz, and it continued back and forth until the mer realized that the less protest he gave, the less often he was sprayed. He huffed an agitated breath before resting his head on his arms, his form coiled away from her and the contraption.

"I'm surprised that worked…" Nate blinked, absolutely baffled by what had played out. Most times he'd attempted to stop any sort of unwanted behavior, the mer would lash out at him and grow increasingly aggressive until he relented. Yet his niece had been able to tame the beast with little difficulty.

"He trusts me enough to listen," Sam clipped the bottle to her belt, a frown still on her face, "It's just a matter of him listening enough to play by my rules."

She wandered forward, earning a guttural hiss from the agitated animal. She paid it no head, knowing it was more in distaste towards what she was capable of rather than what she was doing. Her reasoning; he'd made no movement other than slinking back, eyeing the bottle on her waste. However, he did become opposed to her touching the ball, having already claimed it as his, he wasn't willing to share. The snarl only earned him another shot in the face with the spray bottle.

Sam wasn't going to have any of it. As much as she wanted to learn from this mythical beast, he first had to learn that he would have to comply with her as much as she did with him. Over the last few months, the mer had come to respect certain boundaries; what she was willing to accept, or not. This was one of those cases where she would not. During normal feedings, she kept her distance, allowing him to be possessive of his food. But this wasn't a normal feeding, and the mer would have to quickly learn that whenever these strange objects came into play, that she held claim over them, not the other way around.

He continued to hold a low growl in his throat, but kept his head low as he eyed her. The mer was obviously protesting against this, but made no move to stop her. It seemed the message was getting across; this was her game, and therefore her rules.

A curt nod was Sam's response as she held the ball against the concrete in front of him. One of the few things she'd picked up on over the months was that if she held anything down in front of her, he quickly understood that it was her's and left it alone. Now it was just a matter of moving on to the next step of letting him know he could interact with it without becoming possessive.

Tapping the ball with her fingers, she eyed him, watching his reaction as she scooted closer, bringing the object within strike range. The mer shifted backwards when she drew near, now wary of the ball and the potential deterrent that came with it. Perhaps the spray bottle had been a bit much, seeing as he was now unwilling to approach it despite the smell of food. Thus she needed to show him that the intended purpose was not to run him off from it.

Turning the ball in hand, she aimed the side with the green mark towards him, pressing it. The mer spooked as the contraption popped open, but halted halfway as the smell of the food became stronger now that it was exposed to the open air. She then tossed the bit of fish towards him and he immediately snatched it up; looking over expectantly for more.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" She smiled, before turning her attention over towards her uncle.

Nate complied by pulling out another bit of fish and handing it over. He'd quickly grown to understand that the mer had little patience for him, and despite being an experienced handler, knew that this wasn't his playing field.

As it was, the mer growled at him the moment he moved, but was quickly distracted by the morsel of fresh meat as it passed hands. He wanted to snatch it up and devour all of it, scooting in, clearly keen on taking it. But he was sorely disappointed as the morsel was removed from his grasp and put into the offending puzzle. The mer made his protests clear as he growled low in his throat and coiled away. He didn't like these new rules.

Sam just smiled in attempts to reassure him before rolling the ball towards him. The creature visibly bristled at it, expecting it to be some sort of trap. That if he reached out towards it at any moment, it would result in punishment. Yet, glancing over at the goth girl, he found her sitting with her hands in her lap. There was no indication that she would leap up at him if he went for it. If anything, she was encouraging him to take it. It seemed the rule was not that he couldn't have it, but when he was allowed to have it.

He eyed it skeptically; uncertain of whether or not she was pulling a trick on him. There was no sign that she was going to take it from him, at least not yet. Thus he let himself move towards it, glancing up at her every few moments to gauge whether or not the back off. So far it was all clear. Taking the puzzle in his webbed hands, he ran his fingers over it, looking over at her warily. Sam only nodded at him, and he finally understood that she wasn't going to take it from him.

She had opened it so easily. No smacking it against the rock, no prying it open. It had been so easy, he couldn't comprehend how. Letting the ball roll in his hands now, he examined it further than he had before. It was like an oyster's shell, and yet it wasn't. There was a trick to it, some sort of strange, unfamiliar method to open it. The question was what? Looking at it now, he could see what he wanted on the inside, the crevice that indicated where the two halves met, and the odd green mark on the side. Now that he looked at it further, he could see that the clarity of the object dulled around it, seeming to interconnect the two pieces. The young woman had also held her fingers over it, tapping at it as if it held some sort of significance.

He ran his fingers over the mark. The texture changed across its surface, and he felt it shift under the pressure. Perhaps this was the secret? He prodded at the mark, uncertain of what would happen. The button in turn, pushed in a tad, before returning to its original state. The fact that it had yielded slightly had been enough to garner his attention. Turning the ball around in his hands, he brought his thumb over the mark, pressing in with a bit more force, and to his pleasant surprise, the container responded; popping open to reveal the treat inside.

Sam and her uncle looked on as the mer succeeded and claimed his prize. It truly was an astonishing feat to see how quickly he adapted to the situation. The creature now was fiddling with the contraption, becoming more familiar with how it worked; closing it and opening it over and over.

"It's truly unbelievable. Never have any of the marine animals learned so quickly," Nate practically beamed with excitement. He'd all but forgotten about writing notes at this point, too fascinated by the sight in front of him to pay attention to parchment in his hands.

"I had a feeling he was smart," Sam grinned, watching him play with the puzzle, "He just has that look in his eyes."

"That he understands you?"

"Yeah, like that"

"Maybe we should see if he can learn to talk?"

She chuckled at this. Her uncle was getting a little ahead of himself. He tended to do that whenever he got excited.

"Maybe later. It's still a bit too soon to be trying something that complicated," She sighed before picking herself up again. It was time to move onto something new. The mer growled when she reached out to take the toy from him, but quickly relented when she went for the bottle. He still didn't like this idea of sharing, but he also didn't like the punishment that came with it. Being in the water was one thing, being out of it and having it forcefully directed at the face was another.

Not wanting to leave him agitated for too long, Sam quickly replaced the first puzzle with a new one. The new contraption was a rectangular slab of wood; the top of it showing several slots carved into it, and small disks set into them. It was overall, a simple sliding puzzle. The question was, whether or not the animal could figure it out, or if it would throw another tantrum.

The dark mer eyed the new puzzle warily. He hadn't become familiarized with this one, that and he wasn't certain where the claim landed on it yet. Judging from the look in the woman's eyes, he could only take a gander that this new trinket fell under the same rules as the first one.

He approached it with caution, taking in the overall appearance of the item. It was different from the other one, but still held the unusual bits and pieces that made it as unusual as the first. Prodding the item, he took to feeling it out, trying to figure out what exactly made it work. Obviously it didn't respond to the touch the same way the other did, as the disks didn't give when he pressed them.

Growing frustrated, he started pawing at it, scratching at it with his claws, until he noticed it shift. So that's how it worked… He blinked, going from frustrated to curious as he shifted to the other side. The disks wouldn't press in like the button had, or come out from their designated slots, but he quickly realized that they could slide. Giving it a satisfied push, the mer succeeded in his trials and pulled out the small nibble of shrimp. He then got to work opening the others with greater ease.

Once he'd finished emptying the contraption of all its contents, he pushed the object aside. It seemed he'd finally come to the understanding that the object wasn't his to claim, but the food within was, if he could get at it properly. The problem now was that the puzzles had only given him a mouthful, and he wanted more than they could offer.

The look he gave them had been enough to make Sam laugh. As much as he screeched and squawked whenever she came by to feed him, he never really begged. It might have been the new rules she'd put into play, or simply the fact that the mer was willing to give up a bit of pride for a mouthful of food. Either way, the lopsided ears and the tilted head had been enough to sprout amusement. Thus she relented and tossed a few fish his way.

The rest of the evening had been spent treating the creature to a pleasant feast of well-deserved fish. And the mer took to it all too well, as by the end of the meal he'd fallen asleep with his head in Sam's lap.

"He's almost like a big aquatic dog, isn't he?" Nate mused, putting away the tools and other trinkets they'd brought with them.

It was honestly a funny sight, seeing such a large and proud creature curled up like an overgrown puppy. There was even a long, heavy purr in the mer's throat as Sam stroked its head.

"I think he's more than that… I just hope we can better understand him someday," she sighed, running her fingers through the mer's hair. It was so long, trailing along his back in messy coils, and once again she felt the need to tie it back.

The mer was currently content, his belly distended from the sheer amount of food he'd scarfed down, and was now snuggled into the only comfort he currently knew, sound asleep. He didn't mind the sensation of her fingers in his hair, if anything he subconsciously nuzzled them, his ear giving a flick now and then from the feeling.

Perhaps now was a good time. She gave a soft smile before reaching up and removing her own tie, letting hair fall to join the rest of it. It honestly felt odd, not having something she was so familiar with there, but it felt right doing this. It made him seem more…human.

Taking the tie, she let her fingers brush out his hair into its long strands, pulling them back into a loose ponytail. It was honestly cute, seeing how it now looked so tidy despite being such a natural mess. As far as she was concerned, it looked rather befitting on him.

"Well if you're going to get attached to him, he might as well have a name," Nate grinned as he hunkered down next to her. Aside from the few times he'd handled the mer, he'd never really had the chance to just stop and see the creature in such a relaxed state. It had taken many months for them to get this far, to have an originally hostile and stressed out animal so content in its environment to where it would even sleep in their arms.

Sam just smiled, letting her fingers run along the mer's scales in gentle circles. It truly was a sight to see, and she felt like she was among one of the luckiest people on earth.

"…Danny. His name will be Danny."

"Danny? That's an interesting name. And here I thought you were going to go for something dark and spooky," The older scientist laughed.

She could only shake her head in amusement. True, she had mulled over such dark and creepy names, as was her love of all things gothic, but in all honesty, despite the mer's unusual coloring, it didn't fit him. He just seemed too proud, too pure and strong to be named such. His eyes always seemed to be watching, always trying to understand. He needed an uplifting name, but at the same time, she felt it needed to be a human one. This mythical creature was more than just an animal; he was practically a person in his own right. Thus it just seemed to stick. She nodded to her own confirmation as she continued run her fingers through his hair.

"His name is Danny."


	6. It All Starts With One

Chapter 6

It All Starts With One

The jet black mer rolled over to one side, arms stretching out across the sands with a contented yawn. The water was warm, and the tide lulled gently from side to side; his belly was full, and it all made him feel happy and lazy. He wasn't entirely sure why he felt that way, considering that he knew the world around him was an imitation, and that he was trapped. Perhaps it had just been the fish. It had been a long time since he'd had a meal that satisfying, even out in the open waters, he couldn't remember such a large variety of flavors. It left him licking over his fangs at the memory, almost able to taste it. But there was still something different. Something he couldn't place; and it wasn't the taste of the food.

Jolting upwards, he tumbled back as soon as he felt the odd tug at the back of his head. A hiss building in his throat as he whirled, claws drawn and aimed at his attacker, and yet, there wasn't one. There was no sign of any enemy. However, the nagging pull was still there, agitating the back of his head. He squirmed, struggling to grasp at whatever was causing his distress. Catching it in his fingers and yanking, the harassing object pulled free, and he could finally view the pest for what it was.

What graced him wasn't what he had expected. Stretched around his fingertips, was a purple band, elastic in its nature, and yet resisting the strain his hands put upon it. It was an odd, unfamiliar thing. It left the mer puzzling over where it had come from or why it was even in his hair to start with. But the more he stared at it, the more familiar it had become, and the scent that lingered on it told him just who it belonged to. He could see it in his memory, the purple glinting in the light from where it rested, tied up in smooth black hair.

His eyes widened in realization. This belonged to the human female, Sam; that was what he heard them call her. He found it was an odd sounding call, and that it was near impossible to make himself, but the fact that she would respond to it when the others made that sound, made him sure it was a call she identified by. But why would she give him something like this, a part of herself? She couldn't possibly hold that sort of interest in him, and yet right in front of him was the one thing that threw him for a loop.

The dark mer held a hand up to his chest, trying to settle his beating heart. In all the years he'd spent alone along the reefs, his call unheard within the wild waters; he'd never believed that with losing his freedom, he'd find a possible mate. The problem, she was a whole world away, both in species, and in communication.

How was any of this going to work? He couldn't even speak the same language, let alone call her name. A soft whine hung within his throat, and his ear fins lowered as he brought his gaze back down upon the tie within his hands. It was such a simple object, with such a complex meaning. The first sign that she was wanting to reach out to him, to get to know him, to be a part of him. If she was willing to try and breach the barrier between their worlds, why shouldn't he?

The creaking sound of a door interrupted his thoughts. He blinked, mildly confused; it was too early for her to be here. His eyes narrowed as his senses honed in on the intruder, making his way to the surface to get a look at who dared to step into the exhibit. It may have been a prison to him, but this prison was still his domain, and he wasn't about to let anyone waltz in like they owned the place.

Cresting the surface, he watched in silence as the man drew near, and quickly recognized the redheaded male for who he was. He'd never liked the man, but then again it was like that with most males. Probably the only reason he tolerated the scientist was that he smelt familial, rather than a potential competitor. But if he was family, then perhaps it was wiser to not make an enemy of the human male.

The biologist was currently meddling with a number of the containers that lined the wall along the far end of the patio. He'd always been confused as to what they were. All he knew was that some of them smelled of food. In truth, he wasn't far off. It was just that the food wasn't meant for him.

Nate scooped up a decent sized cup of pellets, giving the container a shake to ensure that the measurement was right. He could feel the burning emerald eyes of the jet black mer on him, and could only find himself shaking his head. The creature had never come to like him very much, tolerated, maybe, but grew quickly irritated with him and was more than willing to take a snap at him. Though there was something odd about today, usually he was quick to cause a fuss once he saw who was in the enclosure, but the mer hadn't made so much as a hiss. It almost left a warning bell in the back of the young scientist's mind, as it wasn't uncommon for their aquatic resident to ambush. And yet the dark mer continued to just swim along the edge of the pool, eyeing him with a curious and yet wary eye.

It wasn't helping his conscience considering that what he would have to do next would likely ruin this reprieve. Aside from feeding the rest of the tank's inhabitants, the vet Mr. Masters had called in had gotten back to him on test results, and that they'd managed to make some viable vaccinations via the blood samples they'd managed to collect during the incident months prior. In truth, Nate didn't agree with the idea, considering that there was a strong chance that immunizations would backfire due to strange genetics, and the animal would likely become hostile soon after. But it seemed his coworker would have none of it, and had taken it a step ahead of him, using the samples they'd acquired and created medicines specifically for their resident mer. It had resulted in an argument between the two men, considering that there was a strong chance such things would only have ill effects, yet there was also the concern of the creature growing sick from human contact, or if they could get sick from him. In the end Vlad won out, wielding the test results of the animal's blood work, which held positive on both concerns for crossing illnesses.

Nate could only heave a sigh, as he wandered over to the edge of the pool, sprinkling in the line of pellets and watching the flickers of color as the reef fish were spun into a feeding frenzy. The jet black mer remained quiet throughout the feeding, almost seeming disinterested in the mixture of fish food. Instead the creature just gave a flick of his tail and hoisted itself up over the ledge, stretching out contentedly. The scientist raised a brow at this, seeing as the mer never took on a relaxed state whenever he was near, and began to wonder what exactly was going on through its head. The mer in turn just rolled his head to one side and looked at him strangely.

Shaking his head, the redheaded man turned back to the crates and dug through to find something of interest for the mer to eat. He could tell from the lack of interest that he wasn't very hungry, and the bloated belly of the beast was another sign, it was more just a means to try and appease him before things went downhill again. Usually most animals would just act offended for a short time, but would usually forget about it soon enough. He doubted this creature, with its intelligence, would forgive him for what he would have to do.

Finding a bag of shrimp, he jostled it a bit, catching the mer's full attention. Even though he wasn't very hungry, the scent of food was still a tantalizing treat. Thus the mer picked itself up to sit, eyeing the bag with interest. As much as he didn't like the scientist, he knew he'd have to get used to him, seeing as the man would never leave him be, and he was family to Sam. At the very least he knew he liked shrimp.

Nate brought himself down to crouch in front of the beast, watching as it eyed him warily. He knew there was a decent amount of uncertainty, as the mer's posture shifted from agitated, to nervous, to curious, and back to nervous again. He just hoped that he wasn't going to end up in a hospital after all of this.

The first tidbit of food was accepted after a moment's hesitation, but it became a steadier, more open acceptance with each bite. It was a good sign, seeing as the mer wouldn't take food from him before. After a few bites, he decided it was now or never to see if the mer would trust him enough for this, though the most likely response would be the creature biting him again. Setting the bag of shrimp down, he warily reached into his side bag to pull out the syringe. The mer, having been more interested in the shrimp attempted to ignored him until he caught sight of the syringe.

The sight of the unfamiliar sharp object immediately drew a hiss from the mer's throat. Though he wasn't certain of what it was, he knew something that could cause pain when he saw it. The snarl had been enough to stop the young scientist in his tracks, the needle half pulled out of the bag. He couldn't help the meek smile that hung on his lips. It was too soon, way too soon for him to even be attempting something so risky. Putting the tool away, he just tossed another shrimp the male's way. It wasn't wise to test the mer's trust yet, especially when the creature had made such a breakthrough in trying to trust him.

"Sorry boy, didn't mean to scare you," the scientist gave a sigh, as he moved his hands back towards the bag of shrimp.

It had been enough to calm the mer, and in the end the interaction had only been treating the animal to a small snack. Giving him shots was important, yes, but it felt like the wrong way to go about it. Nate mulled over the options in his head. Perhaps he could convince his coworker to make a pill form. With the way the mer swallowed most fish whole, it wouldn't be difficult to hide the medicine in food, rather than traumatize him with a needle. In the end it meant he would have to have another long discussion with the man.

The mer watched him go, confused by his actions. He wasn't certain as to what that thing was, but the man had been respectful enough to put it away at the warning. He could also respect that the man was trying to build trust between them, and yes it also felt like the man treated him more as an animal than an individual, but he hoped to change that perspective over time. But he had other things to think about, and his stomach now fuller than before, was demanding a nap.

It wasn't until several hours later that his nap was disturbed by the sound of the door. In most cases he would have been irritated, but the clacking of boots upon the floor was an indication that it was whom he'd been hoping for. He'd darted up towards the surface to greet her, only to realize he'd left her gift somewhere along the sandy floor. He turned tail and began to frantically search along the bottom in search of the simple hair tie.

Sam heaved a tired breath, setting her book bag down and bringing herself down to rest upon the rocks. It was awfully quiet compared to most days. Usually whenever she set foot through the back door the mer was all antsy and excited. The fact that he hadn't even breached the surface had her concerned. Leaning over the edge of patio, she could see the dark form of the mer's tail as he swam circles within the tank. It was mesmerizing how fast he moved, the mer's form almost a blur. It left her so transfixed that when he plowed through the surface, it startled her, falling back with a yelp.

"Danny! Don't scare me like that!" She scowled; a hand on her chest to calm her beating heart.

He just tilted his head at her, wondering why she was so upset. Though he instantly feared it was due to the lack of the tie within his hair, and his form lowered almost apologetically. Sam could only shake her head and sigh at the action before adjusting her seating once again and patting the ground besides her. There was no way she could remain mad at this creature.

The mer was happy to oblige, pulling his form out of the water and taking a seat next to her. He still held the apologetic look in his eyes as he held the hair tie in between his teeth. Through the whole day, he'd forgotten that he'd ripped the item from his hair before realizing it was a present and now he sorely feared he'd ruined the whole thing. However, at the sight of the tie between his teeth, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh silly," she smiled, taking the band from him.

At first she wasn't sure as to whether or not she could put the tie back in his hair. Now that the creature was conscious and aware of what she was holding within her hands, there was a strong chance he would retaliate or find the action offensive. Last thing she wanted was to get bit and lose whatever trust this animal had trusted in her.

The mer in question, Danny, just looked on at the small purple band within her fingers. Though the human girl no longer showed signs of anger, he was still fearful that he'd terribly upset her with the tie's removal. In attempts to console whatever ill will she possibly still had over it, he cooed softly, trying to convey his apology.

It was honestly funny, hearing such a soft, almost whimpering sound coming from the usually aggressive and proud mer. Yet it was also a sign that he trusted her, and understood that it wasn't a threatening object. Now the question was could she put his hair up again?

Reaching out with a wary hand, she pet over his head, and much to her surprise, he nuzzled into her fingertips. She couldn't help the gentle smile that graced her lips as she continued to run her fingers over and through his hair; listening to the soft purr that began to rumble in his chest. Pulling together the last bit of courage, she gathered up his hair in her hands and proceeded to tie it back once more. Danny simply gave a grumble of discomfort to the unusual sensation, but overall let her do as she pleased, and by the time she finished, he was reaching up, trying to feel out the new addition to his 'outfit'.

"Oh Danny, you silly boy," She couldn't help but chuckle at his actions. The mer was now circling around, attempting to get a look at the back of his head with no success. He only stopped when she called out to him again, his head tilting in confusion.

That was the second time he'd heard that strange sounding call come from her, both times they'd been directed at him. Perhaps it was coincidence, but he couldn't help the feeling that ran along his spine; the feeling that she was calling him by that particular sound. He could only tilt his head in question, unable to understand her words, and wishing he could.

"Come here Danny. I brought a new book this time," She patted the concrete next to her, and the mer complied, scooting over to take a seat next to her, his gaze focusing in on the piece of literature, "I doubt you'll find it all that interesting though. It's just philosophy."

She rolled her eyes at the last part, having no interest in the subject herself, but alas, school work was school work and it had to get done one way or another.

The dark mer in turn, just rested his head upon his webbed hands, one ear raised up as he listened to her read aloud. Once again he couldn't understand any of the words, just the drawling roll of sound that made up some sort of language he was unfamiliar with; that didn't stop him from trying to mouth the words as she spoke them.

Yet there was the one nagging feeling in the back of his mind, keeping him from focusing fully on the book. Three times he'd heard the same call. Three times it had been directed straight at him. He couldn't help but wonder, if it was his name; if she had given him something to go by, an essence, a being. Did he finally have a call of his own? A name that he could define as his? He wasn't able to continue mulling on such thoughts as a loud, unusual sound rang out startling him.

Sam sighed in irritation as her phone rang out, resulting in the mer's panicked shrieks. She ignored his cries as she pulled the offending device out of her bag. It continued to ring out loudly until answered.

"Hello? Yeah, I remember. Wait, that was today?! Crud! I'll be over as soon as I can," She turned, putting away her things before turning back towards her aquatic friend, "Sorry Danny. I forgot about a few things I have to take care of. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

She smiled over at Danny who just looked up at her in confusion. Shaking her head, she just sighed softly before picking up her bag and heading out, giving a gentle wave as she closed the door behind her.

The dark mer just tilted his head over to one side, very confused as to what had just occurred. By now he thought he'd be used to her comings and goings, but they were never so abrupt, or unusual. But what felt more unusual than anything else was the name… The sound she kept using…. He'd heard a number of sounds that were repeated, but they were simple; connections that only pieced together other sounds to form phrases. This new sound had been directed at him, over and over again, and he was almost certain of it. It was a name, his name. Something he'd never been gifted with over the years, his mother had refused to grace him with the honor of a name, for fear of what it would bring. Yet this woman, this human lady, had given him a name, a purpose.

He could feel his heart thrum in his chest. He didn't have to be alone anymore, didn't have to be a phantom of the deep. She was willing to be there for him, to treat him as a friend, to give him a sense of self. It was only right that he should return such feelings. But he had nowhere to start… until his gaze fell upon something left upon the rocks. In her rush, she'd left behind the book; its old pages folded closed upon the concrete.

Raising a hesitant hand, he reached out and touched it, feeling the smooth texture of the cover. He couldn't begin to understand what lay written inside of it. Running his fingers along the book, he opened it to a random page and let his gaze peruse over the paper. He could see the words in black print across the page, but without knowing what symbols matched what sound, he had no building blocks to start with. A grumble of frustration hung within his chest. He had a lot to learn and no building blocks to start from. Guess you have to swim before you can float…. He scowled before curling up upon the patio and attempting to decipher the texts. Gotta start somewhere.


End file.
